1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to lighting units, or spotlights (these two terms are synonymously used in the text below).
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It is known from state-of-the-art technology that for various application purposes, so-called softboxes are attached to spotlights, or lighting units, to soften the light emitting from these lighting units. This is frequently necessary in film, television, or photographic shootings, for example.
It is known from conventional technology to attach a so-called speed ring to the lamp head for this purpose. The speed ring has four bores. In these four bores, four rods—the softbox rods—are inserted, which are under mechanical tension and will have a cambered shape after insertion. Over these four rods, a textile cover is stretched. The textile cover and the rods, in combination, form the soft box.
Softboxes are offered by various companies for a variety of spotlights. For these various spotlights, in turn, there are different sizes of front lenses and retaining claws, to which the front accessories are attached. These retaining claws, depending on their diameter, accommodate different speed rings of various diameters, which then require specific softboxes with a rod length and construction that will fit the respective diameters of the speed rings.
The disadvantage of this diversity in conventional technology is that it always requires three matching parts: the softbox, the speed ring, and the lighting unit. This diminishes the interchangeability of the individual parts. For example, if a lighting unit is replaced with a new lighting unit of a somewhat different design, the speed ring that was suitable for the first lighting unit normally cannot be used for the new lighting unit due to mechanical compatibility problems. Thus, a new speed ring has to be obtained at a cost that frequently equals the cost of the lighting unit itself. Furthermore, it can happen that the original, still perfectly usable softbox does not fit the new speed ring—again due to mechanical compatibility problems—thus also necessitating the acquisition of a new softbox.
As a result of these common compatibility problems with conventional technology, a wide variety of diverse accessories of various sizes have to be kept on hand in order to be prepared for all eventualities, or still usable material has to be discarded prematurely. In any case, the diversity, and the compatibility problems associated with it, incur considerable financial expenditures for the users of softbox-lighting-combinations.
A very few conventional speed rings are known, which have slidable retaining arms that allow the mounting of softboxes of various sizes. However, these conventionally known speed rings with slidable retaining arms are extremely difficult to use. The adjustment and locking in place of the retaining arms can only be carried out with great difficulty. The retaining arms have to be loosened with tools, have to be removed completely from the speed ring, and thereafter to be reinserted in a cumbersome way and fastened with tools.